It’s almost June and across the country our trees and shrubs have the fresh green of new leaves.
Some have blossoms coming and going, from serviceberries to crab apples as well as many spring natives like columbines, Wild Geranium and foamflowers. These flowers are a feast for the eyes – and for our pollinators, too!
Many of us feel the call of the nursery where we can walk amongst greenhouses and stands full of plants, dreaming of the new year and how we’d like to enhance our garden. In addition to having gardens that are practical and beautiful, we can also make them beneficial, ecologically speaking.
To help Canadians grow beneficial plants, the Canadian Wildlife Federation partnered with Medallion Plants and Home Depot to bring you plants that are, for the most part, native to your province. They are also grown without neonicotinoids. Neonics, for short, are a group of pesticides that can harm or kill pollinators, even if only the seed was treated.
Some plants that are featured this year’s garden packs:
- Cardinal Flower attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and also some bees
- Wild Bergamot supports hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, flies and clearwing moths
- Liatris attracts hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and clearwing moths
- New England Aster supports bees and butterflies
- Milkweed attracts butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds
- Canada Goldenrod supports bees, butterflies
Many also support our wasps, most of which are solitary and whose stinger has evolved to immobilize prey for their young, not to sting potential threats like us.
When you add other important habitat elements to your garden, you could be eligible for certification by CWF as Wildlife-friendly habitat, under our Garden Habitat Certification program.
Learn how to certify your garden as Wildlife-friendly!
Sarah Coulber
Sarah is an Education Specialist at the Canadian Wildlife Federation. She writes about the benefits and ‘how-to’s’ of wildlife-friendly gardening, coordinates content for the Gardening for Wildlife web section, co-manages the wildlife-friendly demonstration gardens at CWF headquarters and assists Canadians looking to achieve similar results with their own properties.
